Convertible settee



June 12, 1945.

Filed May 5, 1944 o. w. MANN, 2,377,958 1 ONVERTIBLF SE Patented June 12, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONVERTIBLE SETTEE Oswald W. Mann, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application May 5, 1944, Serial No. 534,193

6 Claims.

The invention appertains to an article of furniture which by day serves as a seat or lounge and is convertible into a bed for use at night.

The invention provides a convertible settee which is admirably suited for hotel rooms where it is highly desirable to employ this class of furniture by reason of its convenience and appeal to patrons. The settee is also well suited for ordinary household use, and presents an article of furniture which is both neat and attractive in appearance, and one. which may be converted from a settee into a bed with exceptional ease and rapidity.

The invention has as an object the provision of a settee or the like having a seat portion comprehending a standard mattress and box spring supported upon a base and provided with a foldable backrest structure. The mattress may be covered with regular bed clothing ready for immediate use and over the clothing a slip-cover, or spread, may be draped or otherwise arranged.

The invention has as a further objectthe provision of an article of the class described comprehending a sleeping unit and a frame therefor including a rear wall extending upwardly of the surface of the sleeping unit and pivoted to a top board having a pivotal connection with the upper edge of a backrest disposed over the sleeping unit with its lower edge supported on inclined runners co-acting to guide the backrest to an elevated position clear of the sleeping unit when it is urged backwardly by hand.

The invention has as a further object the provision of a settee in which the seatportion is fomed of a sleeping unit having a forwardly diswhich it is ledged in a raised position and secured therein by locking means.

The invention produces a convertible settee which is very simple to operate and one which employs only two movable parts, namely the backrest and the top board, except for a counterbalancing device, which. it is desirable to employ in order to reduce to a minimum the force required to raise the backrest. There are no parts, such as levers and linkage, to get out of order.

Moreover, it is an article which can be manufactured at reasonable cost.

A distinctive feature of the construction'is tha it enables a utility shelf to be supplied in the frame which of a daytime can be used for storing the pillows, and at night for such articles as a clock, etc. that are convenient accompaniments atabedside.

Having recounted the major objects and advantages of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing in which the selected embodiment of the invention is shown as applied to a settee.

In the drawing, V v r Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the settee, parts being shown broken away to disclose the construction of the back.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the backrest elevatedin order to illustrate converting the settee into a bed. n

Fig. 3 is a fractional section on line 3-.-3 of Fig. 2 depicting a device for locking the backrest in its elevated position.

Fig. 4 is a similar section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, but showing the counterbalance device. In this view the backrest is shown partly elevated.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section illustrating the lowered position of the backrest.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section on line 6-6 of Fig. 2 showing the manner of recessing. or notching the backrest for insertion of the hand of the user under the bottom edge for convenience in operating the device.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures throughout the drawing. I

The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a frame for supplying a base ill for supporting a boxspring H and a mattress E2. The frame includes a vertical wall l3 along a lonitudinal edge of said base, and end Walls M, M, rigid therewith. The" wall 13 forms a back member for the settee and extends upwardly of the top face of the mattress. It is desirably of a thicknesssuch that a horizontal recess I5 may be formed in it. The recess has a utility or pillow shelf 16, and may be of a size to hold a couple of pillows, which may be conveniently stored therein during the day. Said wall terminates short of the end walls M in a top piece H. The end walls are arm-forming members of approved shape.

Co-extensive with the back member I3 is a horizontal top board l8 which projects forwardly and is arranged to swing upwardly and backwardly as by a suitable pivotal connection, indicated at I9, with the arms l4 and disposed at the rear edge 20 thereof.

The top board serves to connect a forwardly disposed backrest 2| to the back member. The backrest is hingedly attached at its upper edge to the frontal edge of the top board as by a continuous hinge 22. The backrest is of a common upholstered construction presenting a cushioned frontal surface 23 and a rigid rear'face Hand is disposed to slope forwardly at an obtuse angle with said top board l8.

By this arrangement, the portion of the mattress exposed forwardly of the backrest serves as a seat or lounge. The mattress may be covered with a material to correspond or harmonize with the covering material of the backrest. The mattress covering may be a slip cover with a skirt portion adapted to be tucked in.

The backrest is sustained at its ends as by flats 25 formed on angular runners 26 which slope rearwardly and upwardly to the top piece [1 of the back member I 3. The runners provide ledge tracks on which the bottom edge of the backrest upon the frame so that it may be urged upwardly and rearwardly to a position substantially vertically over said back member, said means comprising a forwardly extending top member rearwardly pivoted to the frame for swinging over said back member and forwardly pivoted to the top of the back-rest, upwardly sloping runners carried by the frame and having supporting engagement with the bottom of the backrest, and elements on the frame providing ledges over the back member thereof, the structure being characterized in that the backrest forms a dihedral angle with the top member when it reaches the upper ends of the runners and in that the back-rest is sustained by the ledges as it is brought to its substantially vertical position.

2. A convertible settee provided with a frame having end members, a movable backrest arthe backrest travels for converting the settee into i members. Their upper ends have fiat or horizontal sections 28.

To convert the settee into a bed it is only necessary to urge the backrest to anelevated position over the back member, for which purpose the bottom edge is supplied with notches 36 receptive to the hands of the'user. In urging the backrest to its raised position the top board swings upwardly and rearwardly as the backrest climbs the runners to the upper ends thereof so that the bottom edge rests upon the horizontal sections 28. In the final backward movement the backrest glides along said sections and comes to rest in a vertical position parallel with the top board I 8. To provide clearance for the operators hand when grasping the notched parts 3!] of the backrest and elevating it over the back member 13 it is desirable to cut away the top piece I! as at 3|.

The backrest is supplied with a lengthwise se ries of counterbalances of a well-known character, indicated at 32, having spring tensioned tapes 33, which operate to retain it in any position of elevation and facilitate its being raised. Means are provided to secure the backrest in its fully raised position. The means herein shown by way of example but not of limitation consist of a latch 34 fixed .to the back members l3 and adapted to engage a slot 35 in the bottom portion of the backrest as it is brought to a fully raised position. The full width of the mattress is available for use as a bed, and when the backrest is lowered it is free of any tendency to yield under pressure of a person reclining in the settee. While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred form such changes and modifications may be resorted to as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an article of the character described, a frame having a back member, a mattress supported by the frame, a backrest forwardly disposed over the mattress, and means mounting ranged between the end members, a top member having a rear pivotal connection with the end members and a front pivotal connection with the backrest, runners on the end members having surfaces sloping upwardly and rearwardly for engagement by the bottom of the backrest to guide the backrest to an elevated position in which it forms a dihedral angle with the top member, and means on a level with the upper ends of said runner-surfaces to supply ledges onto which the backrest may be slid to sustain it when positioned vertically.

3. A convertible settee provided with a frame having end members, a movable backrest arranged between the end members, a top member having a rear pivotal connection with the end members and a front pivotal connection with the backrest, runners on the end members having surfaces sloping upwardly and rearwardly for engagement by the bottom of the backrest to guide the backrest to an elevated position in which it forms a dihedral angle with the top member, and elements included in the runners to provide ledges at the upper ends of the sloping surfaces for sustaining the backrest when brought to a substantially vertical position.

4. A convertible settee provided with a frame having end members, a movable backrest arranged between the end members, a top member having a rearward pivotal connection with the end members and a forward pivotal connection with the top of the backrest, and runners on the end members having surfaces for supporting engagement with the bottom of the backrest, there being a, surface sloping upwardly and rearwardly to guide the backrest to an elevated position in which it forms a dihedral angle with the top member and there being a horizontal surface forming a continuation of the upper end of the sloping surface for sustaining the backrest in a substantially vertical position.

5. Abedsettee comprising a base, a box spring, a mattress thereon, a back wall and end walls upstanding from said base and projecting above said mattress, a backrest disposed over said mattress and spaced forwardly of said back wall, a top board pivoted at its rear edge to said'end walls for swinging upwardly and rearwardly of said back wall to an upright position, said top board being hinged at its forward edge to the top portion of said backrest, and runners carried by said end walls and having track surfaces in supporting engagement with the bottom of the backrest, the track surfaces providing a section for sustaining the backrest when spaced forwardly of said backwall, a section sloping up- 6. A structure as set forth in claim 5, in which a, resilient latch is provided on the back wall to engage the backrest when it is brought to wardly and rearwardly to the top of said back wall for guiding the backrest to an elevated position in which it forms a dihedral angle when it reaches the upper end of the sloping section,

and a horizontal section at the upper end of 5 the sloping section providing a ledge over the back wall upon which the backrest is sustained when it is brought to a vertical position.

the vertical position.

OSWALD W. MANN. 

